You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realise that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
The church in Laodicea thought it was rich, but Jesus saw the truth: spiritually they were poor. Material wealth had blinded them to their need of Him. Their problem was not their possessions but their pride—they believed they “did not need a thing.”
Jesus lovingly exposes their poverty and invites them to true wealth in Him: refined gold, pure clothing, and eyes opened to see. These are not material treasures but spiritual riches—faith, righteousness, and sight. Only in Christ can we be truly rich.
This passage is a sharp warning for the Western church. Surrounded by material abundance, we risk forgetting our dependence on Jesus. But it is also a gracious invitation: to trade shallow wealth for eternal treasure. To open our eyes, acknowledge our need, and find in Christ riches that never fade.
Where might material comfort have dulled your sense of need for Christ, and how can you seek His true riches instead?
Lord Jesus, open my eyes to my true need. Free me from false riches, and clothe me with your righteousness. Teach me to treasure you as my true wealth.